Triple neg breast cancer/chemotherapy ?

Nickibond

Should I have chemo? 14 mm tumer removed no lymph nodes affected. Triple negative bc. I am 45 and went through menapause last year. Should I have chemotherapy or not?

also stage 1 and grade 3. Invasive ductal carcinoma.

dlb823

Nickibond, I'm not TNBC, but I have the definite opinion from knowing quite a few women who are that you need to get advice from an oncologist who has treated a lot of TNBC.  In the US, that means one of the larger comprehensive cancer centers.  I don't know if you have one of those in NZ, but if you don't, perhaps you can get a long distance consultation with one here, such as MDAnderson, or The Mayo Clinic or UCLA.  

And hopefully this will bump your question so that more TNBC gals will see it and share their firsthand opinions and experience.   (((Hugs)))   Deanna

gillyone

None of us can really answer this. What does your oncologist say? In general, it seems most TNs get chemo as we don't have the hormonals available. But it is possible there are times when chemo is not recommended. You need an expert opinion.

Nickibond

Thanks all for the notes and advise.seeing a oncologist next week.all the answers revealed then hopefully. Nicki

reniebeanie

Hello,

My 50 yo mom had clear and bloody discharge from her left breast, and went in for a mammogram, then a 3D ultrasound, but nothing was seen until she had an MRI. They saw 3 2cm masses, and performed a biopsy that came back with secretory-like findings. Originally, her doctor said it was stage 1, grade 2 and triple neg. He said she had a very good outlook and wouldn't need chemo or radiation, only a lumpectomy. Then he came back and said she would need chemo, and came back again 2 weeks later saying she wouldn't. She just had a double mastectomy 2 days ago. After the surgery, her surgeon came out and said they got all of the cancer and that her outlook with secretory was good. The pathology report just came back today saying that she had 2 tumors in the left breast. One was 0.6 cm and the other was 6 cm. The report says the pathologist found DCIS, cribriform and micro papillary, and secretory types. It also says she is stage 3, and her doctor says she will need radiation or chemo. What I don't understand is how 5 months ago there was nothing on a mammogram, she only had 2 cm masses, was stage 1, and wasn't going to need chemo. Now she has a 6 cm mass, is stage 3 and probably needs chemo. How could they have missed a 6 cm mass? How did it take her doctors 5 months to figure out what was wrong with her? I feel like they have no idea what they are doing, and I need to find her a doctor that has treated invasive secretory carcinoma before. I'll take her anywhere. I don't care if we have to travel to the other side of the country. Any suggestions?

Sue555

I had triple neg medullary BC and advised to have chemo. Had mastectomy and it had not spread to lymph nodes. I'm going with what has been advised.

BarredOwl

Hi Nickibond:

For information only, our local National Comprehensive Cancer Network ("NCCN") guidelines for breast cancer indicate what adjuvant systemic treatments are generally used according to factors including histology (e.g., ductal, lobular, etc), hormone receptor status, HER2 status, nodal status, and tumor size. For ductal, lobular, mixed or metaplastic tumors, that are hormone receptor-negative, HER2-negative (i.e., "triple-negative"), and node-negative ("pN0"), where the Tumor is greater than 1 cm, the NCCN guidelines provide for:

Adjuvant chemotherapy (category 1)

Guidelines indicate what is done in the general case, and there are some cases in which due to various factors such as advanced age and/or co-morbidities, the risk-benefit analysis may lead to a different recommendation in the specific case. However, in the typical case, for a person your age with "triple-negative" IDC of 1.4 cm, chemotherapy is likely to be recommended, even though node-negative, because the benefits are seen to outweigh the risks. However, do not hesitate to request an estimate of your risk of distant recurrence, an explanation of by how much chemotherapy may reduce that risk, and information about the incidence of severe side effects associated with any recommended treatment regimen, so that you can understand the basis for the recommendation. You will find a lot of support and information here.

Best,

BarredOwl

LRM216

Just noticed that Nickibond's original post and last reply was in March 2013. Wonder what she decided to do?

Moderators

Sue555, we welcome you to our community. Thanks for sharing with us, and we hope to be a good support to you!